Tight Hamstrings. Fit problem?
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azstinger11 posted 9 weeks ago.
not sure about the seat hight issue but here is a really good stretch for you to do in the mean time to help loosen them up. Just lie down on your back and take a belt or something else that has a bit of width to it and place it on your foot just beneath your toes and then pull back on it while keeping your leg straight and try and get it as close to a 90 degree angle as you can. Hold for 1 minutes repeat 3 times per leg. My physical therapist has me doing this 3-4 times a day to help loosen my hamstrings up just for running and such.
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theShiba posted 9 weeks ago.
Thanks for the stretch, guys. That feels very nice...
The problem, however, is dealing with the tightness while I am on the bike. I think that I might try to move my seat back a little and see if that helps with anything. I also feel like I might angle the nose up a notch.... I think that I might be "falling forward" a little bit...
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fastdog5 posted 9 weeks ago.
You'd want to do that kind of stretch (static) after you workout or during the day if you feel tight. Try some dynamic stretches beforehand to wake the muscles up.
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iamtb13 posted 9 weeks ago.
I have no data to support this...just my thoughts...
Moving the seat up should activate your hamstrings and glutes more - and that's good - once you get used to it. I bet it's on the up stroke too. Tightness could be new muscle development which is good just a little sore at first. I would try moving the seat forward a little bit and keep the angle about the same - since when you move it up you are also moving is slightly back based on the angle of your seat tube.
My two cents.
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ChunkyB posted 9 weeks ago.
I don't know for sure, but I can tell you that when my seat is too low, I get a lot of pain in my quads. So, too high could = pain in hammies. It's worth lowering it a little and trying it out. I also get pretty bad cramping in my calves when my seat is too low. So definitely try to dial in the seat height.
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fpugsley posted 9 weeks ago.
Is there a way that you could take a picture of yourself from the side on the bike with your foot/crank arm at the 6 o'clock and then at the 9 o'clock (when looking at the picture) for us to look at? This should be done in the riding position, you could use a trainer if you have one, or a wall to balance yourself.
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theShiba posted 9 weeks ago.
ChunkyB wrote:
I don't know for sure, but I can tell you that when my seat is too low, I get a lot of pain in my quads. So, too high could = pain in hammies. It's worth lowering it a little and trying it out. I also get pretty bad cramping in my calves when my seat is too low. So definitely try to dial in the seat height.
That makes sense. I originally raised it because I thought my quads were doing too much work. I guess I need to split the difference...
Hi...
So during my last few bike rides, I've been getting tight hamstrings. Is this an indicator that my seat may be too high? That's the only thing that I can think of that I've moved recently that may be affecting it. Maybe I could just move the seat down and see what happens, but with it lower, I felt like I was losing some power... Is this an issue of balancing power/comfort? Do I just need to get used to it? Thoughts?
Please don't tell me to get fitted at a LBS. I don't have the money, and much prefer to play with it myself... Not that I don't appreciate "that kind" of advice... but there's no way it's going to happen.